Recipe #2: PORK MENUDO

My second recipe is the classic Pork Menudo. You seldom go to a carinderia and not find Pork Menudo on the menu.

Pork Menudo is a pork stew combined with vegetables and spices. The sweetness of carrots and the spice of pepper create an explosion of flavor in your mouth. Although it takes some time to prepare the ingredients with all the chopping and slicing, the cooking process is easy since all you have to do is to dump everything into the wok.

This Pork Menudo recipe is a little different as it lacks the usual tomato sauce or tomato pastebecause that’s not how we do it at home. The tasty red sauce is created from scratch by combining the minced onions, tomatoes, and bell peppers with the meat and seasonings. The low heat from the stove does the rest of the job.

The good thing with my Pork Menudo recipe is that you can omit some of the ingredients depending on your preference (for example, you may not add liver if you don’t like it). Some of the ingredients, however, are special and may be included if served on special occasions.

Pork Menudo Recipe

You will need:

4 tbsp vegetable oil

3 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and diced

1/2 kilo pork shoulder, menudo cut (small cubes)

6 medium-sized tomatoes, minced

5 medium-sized onions, minced

4 medium-sized bell pepper, minced

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp patis (fish sauce)

salt and pepper to taste

3 medium-sized carrots, peeled and diced (optional)

1 cup frozen green peas (optional)

1 small can of Reno liver spread (optional)

1/4 kilo pork liver, cut into small cubes

1/2 cup raisins (optional)

1 cup garbanzos (white chickpeas), cooked and peeled (optional)

3 pieces chorizo de bilbao or hot dogs (optional), sliced crosswise

20 pieces hard-boiled quail eggs (optional)

How to prepare:

Add oil in a wok or big kawali over medium heat. Fry the potatoes until light brown. Set aside.

In the same pan, add the pork, garlic, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, and sausages. Season with salt, pepper, and fish sauce. Reduce to low heat once it starts to simmer. Juices will eventually come out from the vegetables so no need to add water. Cover while stirring occasionally. Cook until pork is tender or until the liquid has almost dried up leaving a thick sauce.

Add the carrots, green peas, and liver spread. Cook for about 15 minutes.

Add the rest of the ingredients including the fried potatoes. Cook for another 15 to 20 minutes (or until all the ingredients are cooked) while stirring occasionally.

hi GJ! I’ve been searching for a menudo recipe and i found yours.. i think its a great idea for me to follow your steps by cooking it. i know its going to be delicious and yummier! i’m gonna cook it later! good luck to me! thanks GJ! 🙂

I will try this recipe on Saturday (dinner). I will cook for my husband. This will be my first time to cook menudo, maybe I will add some cheese to make it more “malinamnam”, my mom used to put some in her menudo and it taste really good. Thanks for this recipe. ^_^

B&B, that’s the good thing with menudo. You can add and omit ingredients as you please. Which is good especially if you’re in a different country where you can’t find all the ingredients. Thanks again. 🙂

Hi Guillermo,I was looking on the net for a menudo recipe that best resembles those made in Silang, Cavite. Great to discover yours! I just added some Spanish chorizo and smoked paprika to get that smoked taste from being cooked outdoors. I cooked the dish for a long time until the liver's crumbling–ooohhh la la! Great comfort food as I am in the UK.We kept the menudo in batches in the freezer. Five weeks after–we had the last batch for dinner tonight! THANKS! Until next time!B&BWalton-on-Thames, Surrey

Hi Guillermo,I've been searching for menudo recipe online and I like the items in your recipe better than the others. I'm just starting to teach myself how to cook and I find your recipe yummy. You add extra information about the dish and your procedure is easy to follow too. Thanks. Mwuah!VangiePerth Australia